ETBU ensemble to give high school students jazz today

The East Texas Baptist University Jazz Band will treat the band students at Hallsville High School to a performance in the HHS band hall at 8 a.m. today.

The ensemble of ETBU students and faculty already has two shows under its belt this fall. Its annual fall concert was in the Marshall Visual Art Center on Friday and it put on a show in Tyler's Liberty Hall on Tuesday evening. But, now the band's hitting the road to perform at three different high schools today and tomorrow, starting with HHS.

"Every other year, our jazz band takes a fall tour," said Dr. Doug Lockard, ETBU's Professor of Music, Coordinator of Instrumental Activities and Director of the ETBU Jazz Band. "This year we're going to Hallsville High School and Winona High School on Thursday and then Friday we're going to Sanger High School."

Lockard said he hopes the 8 a.m. start time doesn't mean the HHS students will still be asleep.

"A lot of these kids don't get up that early so it's going to be interesting," he said. "We're going to play our regular set we did last Friday during our fall concert."

That set includes selections from Charlie Parker, Dizzy Gillespie, Bobby Darin, Duke Ellington and Stevie Wonder.

"I love Stevie Wonder," said Lockard. "I've loved him since I was a kid in junior high school and these are great arrangements that we're playing."

The HHS performance will give students who weren't able to attend the regular fall concert a chance to hear the total of nine tunes.

"Many of the high school students didn't get to come to our fall concert because it was on Friday and most of the high schools had their last game of the season on that Friday so they couldn't come," said Lockard. "The way the schedule works out, we typically have our fall concert the second Friday of November and it doesn't conflict because most football seasons end the first Friday in November.

"This year was different. Everybody started later I guess and everybody was playing football."

Fortunately, it's something noticed before football season even started.

"I was talking to Sherri Morgan, the band director in Hallsville back in August, and she said 'I'd love to have y'all come here and play,'" said Lockard. "But we're really excited to get to play for the Hallsville kids. They have some really great musicians there."

The band's performance at Winona High School, which is about 15 miles north of Tyler, will be early this afternoon. The band will then travel to Denton and spend the night before its performance at Sanger High School, which is about 13 miles north of Denton, on Friday.

"We usually try to hit a local school and then try to go out a little further," said Lockard. "When we went in 2010, we actually played at Hallsville High School then as well. Then we went on to the Dallas area and played at schools just north of there.

"We're doing the same thing this year, but with some different schools."

Lockard said a concert at the University of North Texas is part of the reason for the overnight stay in Denton.

"The wind ensemble at UNT is giving a concert," he said. "So that gives our kids the chance to go hear a really good wind ensemble if they want."